Puzzle Pieces & Stars
by Arya3610
Summary: "I don't want someone who completes me, I want someone who helps me find the missing piece under the coffee table so I can complete myself." Cas is feeling a little down and goes to talk to Dean. Dean finally works up the courage to say something he's wanted to say for a long time.


"I don't want someone who completes me, I want someone who helps me find the missing piece under the coffee table so I can complete myself."

Dean blinked at his roommate. "Cas?"

Cas ran his hand through his hair and flopped down next to Dean on the bed. Dean supposed he should probably be upset that Cas just walked into his room like this, but if anything, it was his own fault. He had left the door open. And Dean had never told Cas he couldn't come into his room before.

And it wasn't like he didn't wish Cas would lie next to him on this bed every day.

"I just…" Cas blew out a sigh to the ceiling and put his forearm over his eyes. He hadn't bothered to climb fully on the bed, his legs dangling awkwardly to the floor.

Dean sat aside his notebook and pen and crossed his legs, leaning back against the wall. He didn't say anything, waiting for Castiel to continue.

"I…" He sounded frustrated.

After a few moments of patient silence, Dean cautiously reached over and tugged Cas' arm away from his face.

Cas opened his eyes and managed a small smile. "Hello, Dean," he said softly.

Dean returned the smile. "Hey, Cas," he gently shook the arm in his hand. "What were you saying when you came in here?"

Cas sighed again but rolled on his side to focus on Dean.

Dean tried not to show the swoop his heart took at seeing Cas' messy hair against his sheets.

"I said," Castiel's voice was softer, "I don't want someone who completes me, I want someone who helps me find the missing piece under the coffee table so I can complete myself."

Dean hummed in thought and looked up at the crack in the ceiling. "Sounds kinda poetic. You getting into writing?"

Cas halfheartedly swiped at Dean's knee by his face. "No, assbutt," he grumbled. "It was just a thought I had while cramming for tests at 3 AM."

Dean smiled to himself at the insult. The smile faded as he thought about what Cas had said. "That sounds kinda sad, Cas."

"Yeah," Cas muttered. He dropped his eyes to Dean's knee and started picking at a thread in the denim. "Well, maybe I'm kinda sad."

Dean had his hand an inch away from Cas' head before he realized that stroking his friend's hair would not be a "just friends" thing to do. He balled his hand into a fist and set it on his lap instead, cursing himself.

"You know," Cas continued, still completely focused on the knee of Dean's jeans, "I had another thought, too."

"Oh, yeah?" Dean tried to sound light, like he didn't want to hug Castiel and not let go. He really wished he could think of a way to comfort Cas that wasn't too much, but all his brain could think of stroking Cas' hair and lying next to him on the bed.

Wait, he could do that one.

Dean slid down the wall and lied on his back next to Cas, staring up at the ceiling. His legs were dangling off the side of the bed, now, too.

Castiel grumbled at losing his denim-based distraction, but quickly found another loose thread a few inches from his face in the shoulder of Dean's shirt. "Yeah."

"What was it?" He lightly bumped his foot against Cas'. "Lay it on me."

"I don't want someone who will give me the moon," Cas began, "I want someone who will give me glow-in-the-dark star stickers that we can stare up at as we lie on my bed and talk about how shitty our days were." Cas gave up on the thread and rested his hand on the bed between them.

Dean felt the press of Cas' forehead against his shoulder, and it granted him the courage to say what popped into his mind.

"Well I don't have star stickers, but there's a crack in the ceiling we can stare at." He felt Cas stiffen beside him, and rushed to get his piece out. If he was about to ruin this friendship, he wanted all the cards on the table. Closure, or something.

"And we'd have to lie on my bed because, no offense, I'm pretty sure your bed has more toast crumbs and tea stains than most kitchens, and that shit drives me insane." Dean gave a false laugh, trying to force humor. His eyes stared on the crack in the ceiling with laser focus.

"Dean," Castiel pulled himself up and leaned over Dean, but Dean kept his eyes resolutely away from Cas' face. His gorgeous face. Damn, Dean really wanted to plant a kiss on those cheekbones. Or that forehead. Or anywhere, really, he wasn't picky.

"Dean," Cas repeated, leaning in to completely fill Dean's view.

Dean blinked away the tears that were totally from staring at the ceiling and nothing else. He tried a smile, but he could feel the shake in it. "Castiel."

Castiel didn't return the smile. Dean felt his heart clench. "Dean," Castiel said softly. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that… I don't want to complete you, but I would like to help you find the piece you dropped when you opened the box." Dean's voice was shaky with nerves. "And I don't want to give you the moon. I'll help you stick some stars on the ceiling, though. I am taller than you." Dean felt like Cas' eyes were searching his soul. "I guess I'm saying," Dean slowly reached up and traced Cas' jawline, taking courage that Cas didn't flinch away. Even if he got rejected, at least he'd get to have done this. Just once. "How shitty was your day?"

Castiel's face broke into a smile. "Are you saying you'd like to be the Juliet to my Romeo?"

Dean's return grin was so wide his cheeks hurt, but he rolled his eyes nonetheless. "First of all, Cas," he kept his hand on Cas' face since it looked like he wasn't going to be pushed away, "That's a terrible thing to compare us to. They both die, dude." He made a face. "Also, why am I the chick in this relationship?"

Castiel laughed and pushed his face into Dean's chest. "You said relationship. You want to be in a relationship with me." His voice was muffled, but Dean could still hear the delight in it.

Dean shrugged, bumping Cas and letting his fingers _finally_ run through Cas' hair. "Yeah. I do."

Castiel hummed happily. He turned his head and stared up at Dean from his chest. "My day just got a lot less shitty."

Dean tilted his head down to meet his eyes. "I'm glad." He smiled. "Mine, too."

Cas broke into a fit of giggles.

"What?"

"From this angle you have, like, five chins."

Dean groaned, leaning his head back. "Caaas!"

"No, no," Cas was still chuckling, "It's fine. It's cute."

Dean frowned at the crack in the ceiling. "I'm not cute."

"You are," Cas says, leaning up and kissing the tip of Dean's nose. "I noticed it a while ago, if we're being honest."

"Yeah, well," Dean muttered. "I noticed you were gorgeous like two years ago, so hopefully your thing was recent or else we're idiots."

Cas was silent.

Dean groaned and mirrored Cas' position from earlier, with his forearm over his eyes. "We're idiots, aren't we?"

Cas shrugged, tracing his fingers lightly over Dean's upraised forearm. "At least we figured it out now."

"Mmm, yeah," Dean smiled again.

Cas continued to trace random patterns on Dean's arm until he lowered it. "What's wrong? I didn't scratch you or anything, did I?"

"No, nothing's wrong," Dean took Cas' hand and just held it, fingers entwined against the bedspread. They both lied on their sides, facing each other and smiling.

"Hey, come on," Dean stood and gently tugged Cas to his feet. He kissed him on the forehead once they were both standing.

"What was that for?" Cas smiled.

"Nothing," Dean did it again, just because he could. "We're going to get something."

"What?" Cas tilted his head to the side. "Right now?"

Dean pulled Cas out to the living room, grabbing his wallet and keys. "Yes, right now. I need to get you some glow-in-the-dark stars."


End file.
